For a BT engineer

Does BT provide additional training to jumper an AIO cab for a VDSL connection over and above what you already know from dealing day to day jumpering regular PCPs? I ask because my FTTC provision failed on Friday morning and the message recorded on the job suggests that the engineer, having possibly for the first time been faced with jumpering an AIO cab, simply gave up. I appreciate that AIO cabs are rare, especially so in inner London, but I really expected more from Openreach.

There's nothing like losing ones ADSL broadband on Friday 30 September and then to be told the situation will be reviewed on 10 October. Tempers might just get a little frayed if this isn't resolved before then.

Edit: Is it possible that a different key is required to obtain access to an AIO cab and that not all BT engineers have such a key?

Re: For a BT engineer

Having seen pics on line of the inside of an all AIO and seen inside the one in my village, it shouldn't be that difficult for a engineer to work out.

The jumper blocks are just like a normal PCP - the VDSL green and blue blocks are in the centre and then the "copper" green and blue blocks on the right - but I think this is the other way round to a normal PCP. Its pretty obvious though, the underground cables can be seen going to the RHS blocks and the VDSL tie pairs to the centre blocks.

He only needs to open the RHS door for the jumper blocks, the LHS with the VDSL equipment has separate and different locks.

My AIO cabinet got fitted with a silver lock when it was commissioned, just like a "normal" FTTC cabinet. It has since been replaced with the older style black central lock. Whether this has to do with the key being more common I don't know, but Zarjaz will no doubt tell us.

Re: For a BT engineer

Re: For a BT engineer

no the AIO has 2 sides a copper side and a VDS slide its exactty the Same as there are 2 racks in the copper side one copper and one to connect to the VDSl side - he does not ever need to get the VDSl Side in the same way an engineer should never need to get to the DSLAM

Re: For a BT engineer

he does not ever need to get the VDSl Side in the same way an engineer should never need to get to the DSLAM

That is how I thought it was. I'm still mystified as to why I have no broadband since my switchover on Friday morning. I only added my comment regarding keys as a possible reason for what I believe was an inability to access the cab.

What particularly annoys me is that BT Retail, for it is BT Retail to whom I am attempting to move, made no attempt to inform me that there was a problem other than "Oops there seems to be a problem" now replaced by a singularly uninformative and unhelpful "!We’re sorry for the delay" on the BT order tracking site.

Re: For a BT engineer

Yeah, we have the stupid "We’re sorry for the delay" on our open order that we placed on "Fri 12 AUG" due to build issues that we had at our splitter node.

This work has since been completed, but due to our install being handed back to the planning team we have to wait for them to say yes you can now do the install, even though there is no reason for the delay now.

The guy next door had his external work done the other day.

Makes you wonder if they really know what they are doing, its like one excuse after another.

And the dates BT FTTH give you for the engineer visits are all lies that never happen, just hoping it happens next week (the engineer visits that is).

Re: For a BT engineer

I'm still mystified as to why I have no broadband since my switchover on Friday morning.

ADSL broadband?

If your ADSL stopped syncing on Friday, rather than just failing to make a PPP connection, then perhaps your line has been physically amended to route through the filters that block DSL on the E-side, so it blocks DSL on the D-side instead.

Saying that, I wonder if it is possible for the AIO cab to get wrongly wired, with the cables between the VDSL DSLAM and the copper racks being wired backwards. That would leave the AIO DSLAM trying to talk to a modem at the exchange, with the filter isolating that shenanigans from the D-side. That would leave the CPE in blissful silence, but the voice line working.

Re: For a BT engineer

We had the same at our last address when upgrading to VDSL. The phone line dropped first thing in the morning then came back about midday without ADSL. VDSL connection failed due to a capacity issue and it was 6 weeks before we had any kind of internet access restored.

Suffice to say I am not looking forward to the switchover at the new address (which should be possible some time in the next year if BDUK pull their finger out).